Ranked third in the Ivy Preparatory League, Boys Varsity Soccer (BVS) is ready to defeat Riverdale at their Homecoming game, Jem Klancnik (11) said. “We think that we can beat them — we are at home so we have that advantage, and we’re going to give our all,” he said. 

The key to the team’s success has been consistent passing, Klancnik said. “We have been working on our build-up play, meaning we do a lot of passing, rather than just super long balls.”

Looking ahead to Homecoming, the team has focused specifically on their one to two passes in practice, Matteo Monti (11) said. “In a one to two pass, you would pass the ball to someone and then the other person would pass it right back in a matter of a split second, just so the defender has to run back and forth and it tires them out,” he said.

The team has many strong players this year, such as center backs Max Ting (12) and Dylan Greenberg (11), Coach Gregg Quilty said. “They’re probably the best center back combo that I’ve seen so far.” Center backs work together on defense to protect the goal.

The team has also been successful because every member plays their part, no matter their grade, Monti said. “All the seniors are really good leaders, and then we have the freshmen who are really funny and enjoyable to be around,” he said. “Everyone plays a role, and we all go really well together.”

However, the team still faces some challenges, Quilty said. “The lack of size, speed, and experience has been holding us back on the offensive end of the field,” he said. This setback is greater because the Ivy Preparatory League is stronger across the board this year, Quilty said. “There’s a lot of parity in the league, and there are no real easy games,” he said. “We’re expecting a lot of one goal games, and that’s very similar to last year.”

Throughout the season, the team has consistently been able to win their games even when on the brink of defeat, Monti said. In their game against Dalton this Monday, the team turned a low scoring match into a win. “It was 0-0 for the majority of the game and in the last five minutes, we scored a goal,” Monti said. “They were demoralized, and we were then able to score another goal.”

At Homecoming, BVS will play Riverdale for the first time this season, Owen Stafford (12) said. “Riverdale lost a lot of seniors since last year, so the line-up is going to be new to us and apparently they have a lot of young talent.”

The team beat Riverdale at Homecoming last year by a score of 3-1, Santi Simonian (11) said. “It was a really good game with lots of fans, a really good turnout,” he said.

The larger crowd at Homecoming helps the team play their best, Stafford said. “We all definitely feed off the energy from the crowd,” he said. “We really appreciate them, and sometimes it can rattle the other team a bit,” he said.

As a freshman on the team, Henry Stevanovic (9) is excited for his first Homecoming game. “I’m just looking to play my best and treat my first Homecoming like any other game,” he said. He believes that with the right amount of focus, the team will pull through for the win. “Our team’s chemistry, talent, and coaches can’t be matched by Riverdale,” he said.

If the team concentrates and works hard together, they should be able to beat Riverdale, Monti said. “The team strategy is simple: every game we run hard, do what our coach wants us to do, and then score goals and hopefully win.”

For Stafford, the higher stakes of the Homecoming game is just what the team needs to push them to the win. “It’s definitely higher stakes, especially for our seniors,” he said.  “It’s our last Homecoming here, we definitely want to end it on a win.”

LIST OF GAMES

8/30: SCRIMMAGE against Riverdale-Kingsbridge Academy

9/1: SCRIMMAGE against Hunter

9/7: WIN 2-1 against Rye Country Day

9/9: WIN 1-0 against Poly Prep Country Day School

9/12: WIN 4-0 against Trevor Day

9/14: TIE 0-0 against Trinity

9/16: LOSS 1-3 against Hackley

9/21: WIN 0-0 against Fieldston

9/23: WIN 3-1 against Collegiate

9/30: WIN 2–0 against Dalton

10/3: LOSS 1-5 against Hackley

ROSTER

# – Name – Grade – Position

1 – Matt Edelman – Senior – Goalkeeper

2 – Spencer Kolker – Junior – Goalkeeper

3 – Logan Scharlatt – Sophomore – Defense

4 – Max Ting – Senior – Defense

6 – Larry Tao – Senior – Defense

7 – Thomas Benissan – Sophomore – Midfielder

8 – Nigel Harris – Sophomore – Midfielder

9 – Mich Obia – Sophomore – Forward

10 – Leo Courbe – Senior – Midfielder

12 – Alexandre Saint-Sauveur – Junior – Midfielder

13 – Sam Korff – Senior – Defense

14 – Dylan Greenberg – Junior – Defense

16 – Alban Maurel – Freshman – Midfielder

17 – Asher Seifan – Sophomore – Midfielder

18 – Owen Stafford – Senior – Defense

21 – Santi Simonian – Junior – Midfielder

22 – Ethan Soroca – Sophomore – Forward

23 – Johnny Thomas – Freshman – Midfielder

27 – Matteo Monti – Junior – Midfielder

29 – Henry Stevanovic – Freshman – Midfielder

31 – Jem Klancnik – Junior – Defense

33 – Menya Obia – Sophomore – Defense

98 – Pietro Arcoria – Sophomore – Goalkeeper